Annette Alexander on hiring practices
From How Orgs Can Intentionally Embrace Diversity with Annette Alexander | Austin Startup Week 2020 · · Capital Factory
“This is the first company I've worked at where it hasn't been a hardcore requirement like you need a college degree, but we decided to remove it where it's not needed, and today one third of our company does not have a college degree. What we found is that when we remove that, the world opened up; we were able to attract so many more different and really valuable candidates.”
On , Annette Alexander, Chief People Officer at WP Engine, spoke about hiring practices during How Orgs Can Intentionally Embrace Diversity with Annette Alexander | Austin Startup Week 2020 on Capital Factory.
About Annette Alexander
Annette Alexander, Chief People Officer at WP Engine, participated in a session titled "How Orgs Can Intentionally Embrace Diversity" during Austin Startup Week 2020. Alexander stated that WP Engine removed college degree requirements from roles where they were not needed, and said that one third of the company's employees do not have a college degree. She described this change as opening up the candidate pool to attract more diverse and valuable candidates. Alexander also discussed WP Engine's practice of "open book management," which she said involves sharing financial information and business performance with all employees, providing financial training so everyone can understand the data, and maintaining an open-door policy where any employee can speak with leadership. She noted that the company holds weekly meetings where the CEO and executive team share updates and that employees have full transparency into company numbers each month.